How Great Is the Honor of Israel?

I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience
testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow
and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself
were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren,
my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom
belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and
the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5
whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the
flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

I hope to remind you again and again in the coming months that
the very practical chapters, Romans 12-14, are coming and that you
should read them now. They begin with "Therefore" and are built on
Romans 9-11 and 1-8. This makes clear that what these practical
chapters are built on is the mercy of God in Romans 1-11.
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God . . ." (Rom.
12:1). There it is. All his practical teachings in chapters 12-14
about spiritual gifts and love and forgiveness and service and zeal
and hope and suffering and prayer and hospitality and sympathy and
humility and peace and vengeance and civil authority and
drunkenness and sexual immorality and quarrelling and jealousy and
many more – all of this is built on Romans 1-8 and 9-11, and
especially on God’s mercy. "Therefore I urge you, brethren,
by the mercies of God . . ."

Therefore keep your eyes open for mercy. Almost certainly it
will not come in the way you expect. But you will see it clearly,
even here in Romans 9. Verse 15: "For he says to Moses, ‘I
will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on
whom I have compassion.’" And again in verse 18: "So then he
has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills."
And again in verses 22-23: "What if God, desiring to show his wrath
and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels
of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the
riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared
beforehand for glory."

So three times already in chapter nine Paul trumpets the mercy
of God – that is, the utterly undeserved goodness of God to
those whom he chooses. And this is the mercy behind the Romans
12:1, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God . . ."
In other words, all the weighty doctrine of Romans 9-11 is
foundation for practical application.

When the pastoral staff met for 16 hours of prayer and
discussion on Monday and Tuesday this week, some of our most
burdened hours were spent wrestling with how this church can be
devoted more zealously and corporately to ministries of mercy
– ministry to the truly poor and the sick and the dying and
the disabled and the homeless and the orphans and those who seem
trapped in a spiral of family and social dysfunction. We reminded
ourselves that this is not icing on the cake of doctrine; this is
fruit on the tree of doctrine. And where there is no fruit, there
is no life, and the tree will be cut down sooner or later.

William Wilberforce 200+ years ago traced racism and the casual
tolerance of the African Slave trade in Britain straight back to
doctrinal indifference. He said:

The fatal habit of considering Christian morals as distinct from
Christian doctrines insensibly gained strength. Thus the peculiar
doctrines of Christianity went more and more out of sight, and as
might naturally have been expected, the moral system itself also
began to wither and decay, being robbed of that which should have
supplied it with life and nutriment.

In his view, the red-blooded, unshakable, solid doctrines of
Christianity gave life and nutriment to the moral system of mercy
and justice. I think that is exactly what St. Paul is saying when
he begins his practical, ethical section with the words, "Therefore
I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God . . ." Therefore, now
that you see God and see Christ and see history and see human
nature and see Israel and see mercy and justice and faith for what
they really are – now with this root, bear the fruit of mercy
and justice in your life.

So when you go home each week from these
messages, be stunned that you are a beneficiary of mercy – be
reminded and stunned that you and I deserve nothing but wrath from
God, and in Christ receive nothing but mercy from him. Be stunned.
And then pray that God would make you merciful to the
undeserving. Oh, how sweet marriages would be if we stopped
thinking about what we deserve and thought more about how to show
more mercy – how to do more undeserved good to each other.
Oh, how sweet would be the fellowship of the church if we all
really felt undeserving of any good and lavished with God’s
mercy. And, oh, how bright the gospel would shine if we touched the
poor with Christ-exalting mercy. May God raise up many who will
build, with joy, ministries of mercy to the city and the
nations.

To that end we turn now to Romans 9:4-5. Here Paul lists nine
privileges of Israel. "[They] are Israelites, to whom belongs the
adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of
the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the
fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is
over all, God blessed forever. Amen." Why does he do this? There is
a main reason – a main point – and three subordinate
implications for each of these nine privileges.

The main reason for saying how privileged Israel is, is to show
how tragic her condition is as accursed and cut off from Christ.
You remember that in verse 3 Paul said indirectly that Israel, his
kinsmen, were lost. "For I could wish that I myself were accursed,
separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh." What makes that so terrible is not merely
that they are his kinsmen but that they are "Israelites," with all
that implies. So Paul now spells out what that implies. And his
main reason is to show how tragically huge is the problem he is
about to tackle in these three chapters. Israel is God’s
chosen people, with unparalleled privileges, and yet they are
accursed and cut off from Christ. How can this be if God is
faithful?

The solution to this problem takes Paul three chapters to
explain. So his main purpose in verses 4-5 is to agree with his
critics: Yes, Israel is God’s people, and Yes, they are
overwhelmingly honored and privileged, even with promises of
salvation. That is what verses 4 and 5 are meant to show, so that
everyone could see that Paul’s anguish was not only because
the perishing Jews are his kinsmen, but that they are Israelites,
with all that implies, and this creates a crisis in embracing
God’s faithfulness.

That’s the main reason for telling us these nine
privileges of Israel. But I said there are three subordinate
implications. I’ll sum them up and then take each of these
privileges briefly.

Three Implications

These privileges belong fully and savingly to an elect remnant
of Israel now.

First, all these privileges are even now savingly still valid
for an elect remnant in Israel. When Paul begins to explain how so
man Israelites can be lost, and yet the word of God not fail, he
says in verse 6, "But it is not as though the word of God has
failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel."
In other words his explanation is that not all of the Israel of his
day was Israel. Not all ethnic Israel is true, spiritual Israel.
"They are not all Israel who are descended from Israel." So the
first subordinate implication of verses 4-5 is that the full
meaning of these privileges, while not applying to every individual
Israelite, do apply to an elect remnant. As Romans 11:7 says,
"Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained
it, but the rest were hardened."

These privileges will belong fully and savingly to all ethnic
Israel at some future time.

The second implication of these nine privileges is that they
will someday apply in a full and saving way to all ethnic Israel
– not every Jewish person who has ever lived, but the whole
ethnic people of Israel at some future time. I say this for two
reasons. One is that Paul speaks here in the present tense: "They
are Israelites," and therefore have now all the benefits that go
with that; not: they were Israelites and had all these privileges.
I take this to mean that he is talking generally over the people as
a whole. And this is confirmed in chapter 11:26 where he says, "and
so all Israel will be saved." In other words, there is coming a day
when the veil will be lifted (2 Corinthians 3:14) and the hardening
will be taken away (Romans 11:25) and Israel as a whole will repent
and believe in Christ and be grafted back into the tree of promise
along with all the believing Gentiles.

These privileges belong to all Gentiles who trust Christ and
are grafted into the true Israel by faith.

Which leads to the third implication of these nine privileges in
verses
4-5: Gentiles who trust in Christ, the Jewish Messiah, the
son of Abraham, are grafted into the tree of true Israel and become
fellow heirs of all these privileges. Paul makes this explicit in
chapter 11:17ff where he pictures true Israel as an olive tree with
national branches that are broken off – referring to
unbelieving Israelites – and wild branches that are grafted
in – the Gentiles who have trusted the Messiah, Jesus. So if
you are a believer in Christ this morning, Jew or Gentile, these
nine privileges are yours.

So, in sum, the main point is that these nine privileges
underline the tragedy and crisis of so many individual Jews being
accursed and cut off from Christ because of unbelief. But the three
subordinate points are that

these nine privileges belong fully
and savingly to an elect remnant of Israel now;

they will belong
fully and savingly to all ethnic Israel at some future time; and

they belong to all Gentiles who trust Christ and are grafted into
the true Israel by faith.

Nine Privileges of Israel That Show the Tragedy of Israel

Now a brief look at each privilege. And I think the application
you should make of each one of them is this: If you do not trust
Christ, you lose this privilege. If you do trust Christ, you gain
it. Therefore, if you want it for yourself – and surely you
do – then trust Jesus the Messiah with your life. And if you
want it for a Jewish friend – and I hope you do – pray
and love and speak the gospel like Paul.

"Who are Israelites…"

This is the first and all-encompassing designation. It comes
first in the list because it carries in it all the other benefits.
To be an Israelite is to have all these privileges. It is to be
God’s people with all that implies. In Romans 11:1 Paul says,
"God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I
too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham." In other words, a
true Israelite belongs to God’s people and is an heir of
Abraham. And the spectacular news for us Gentiles is Galatians 3:7,
"It is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham." If you have
the faith of Abraham, you are a child of Abraham and belong to true
Israel. You are grafted into the tree of true Israel and are a
beneficiary of all the rest of these privileges.

". . . to whom belongs the adoption as sons."

The Greek word for this phrases (huiothesia) is used only by
Paul in the New Testament. It is never used in the Old Testament.
It was used a few verses earlier in Romans 8:15 (and 23). "You did
not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you
have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry,
‘Abba! Father!’" ( Romans 8:15). The "you" in this
verse is simply Christians – Jews or Gentiles. Those who
"have the Spirit of Christ" and belong to him (Romans 8:9). The
true Israel, including Jews and Gentiles, are the sons of God. He
has adopted us through Christ.

". . . and the glory . . ."

This glory is not mainly the Shekinah glory that filled the Old
Testament tabernacle. Paul uses the word glory mainly to refer to
what is coming for the people of God – especially the
children (sons) of God! "I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be
revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the
revealing of the sons of God" (Romans 8:18-19). The sonship and the
glory go together. And it is no mere past glory. It is the glory of
God revealed to us and for our everlasting joy in the age to come.
And Jesus himself is the fullness of it because Simeon said when he
saw the baby Jesus, "[I have seen a] light for revelation to the
Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:32).

". . . and the covenants . . . the promises"

Take "the covenants" together with "the promises" later in the
verse. The plural "covenants" and "promises" is probably
Paul’s way of summing up all of them. All the covenants that
God made and all the promises that God made belong to you: you
elect remnant of Israel; you future ethnic Israel as a whole, and
you Gentiles who trust the Messiah and are grafted into the tree of
covenant and promise. How can this be? Because the new covenant
that brings all other covenants to completion is purchased by the
blood of Christ for all who believe (Luke 22:20), and because "all
the promises of God are yes in Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:20).

". . . and the giving of the Law . . ."

The law was given to Israel for the sake of the nations –
and for you. Romans 3:19, "Now we know that whatever the law says
it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may
be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God."
And not only held accountable but pointed to the goal of the law
found in Romans 10:4, "The goal of the law is Christ for
righteousness to everyone who believes." The long-term aim of the
law was not condemnation but salvation. And if we are trusting the
Messiah for our righteousness, the law has become for us what it
was given for: a servant to lead us to Christ.

". . . and the temple service . . ."

The word here refers to the ministry of the priests in offering
sacrifices to make atonement for sins (Leviticus 4:20, 26, 31) and
gain acceptance with God (Exodus 28:38). The supreme "temple
service" was the Passover (Exodus 12:25-27) and Paul says in 1
Corinthians 5:7, "Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."
In other words, Christ has performed the final and decisive atoning
"temple service" on the cross. And when we say that the "temple
service" belongs to true Israel, we mean in the fullest, saving
way: our sins are forgiven and God welcomes us into his
fellowship.

". . . whose are the fathers . . ."

The implication of this is stated in Romans 11:28, "As regards
the gospel, they [the Jews] are enemies of God for your [the
Gentiles’] sake. But as regards election, they are beloved
for the sake of the fathers." In other words, God freely chose
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and promised that their descendants
would be heirs of God. And what we are seeing is that this was
meant in three ways:

there is an elect remnant of Israel, there
always was and always will be;

there is a promise that all
ethnic Israel will be saved at some future time; and

Gentiles
who trust in the Messiah become sons of the fathers with the same
blessings as the natural children. Everything promised to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob is yours in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

". . . and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who
is over all, God blessed forever. Amen."

What a privilege to Israel that the Messiah and Savior of the
world should be born Jewish according to the flesh! But what a
tragedy that he came to his own and his own received him not. But
it holds true here as in John 1:12, "To as many as received him to
them gave he power to become the children of God."

And most wonderful of all, when you receive Jesus the Messiah,
you receive the One who is over all, God, blessed forever. The
deepest tragedy is to fail to see that the Messiah Jesus is God;
and the highest privilege is to know God incarnate and spend an
eternity seeing so many new and wonderful things about him that you
will never cease to bless him. That is why Paul says he is "blessed
forever." Our eyes will never stop seeing new glories in Christ.
Our hearts will never weary of savoring what we see. And our mouths
will never tire of singing what we savor.

John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books.

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